The Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday (May 9) amid mounting protests that have rocked the South Asian nation for weeks, and turned violent recently, killing 5 and injuring 157.

The riot police and the army were called in to quell the unrest.

Five people including an MP from the ruling party died and at least 157 were injured on Monday in a day of violence in Sri Lanka. The violence began after several thousand supporters of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, brought in buses from rural areas, poured out of his nearby official residence. The supporters then initially pulled down tents of protesters in front of the prime minister's Temple Trees residence and torched anti-government banners and placards. Thereafter, they moved to the main protest site in Galle Face known as GotaGoGama and destroyed several tents, and assaulted peaceful protestors.

Sri Lanka Police, the Riot Police, Sri Lanka Army, and other law enforcement agencies were called in to control the situation and Sri Lanka Police eventually imposed an island-wide curfew to control the unrest. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has been forced to resign after a day of violence saw five people including a ruling party member of parliament dead, with reports emerging of people attacking properties linked to the ruling party across the island nation.